T.J. Brown

Thomas Julius Brown

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 4", Weight 152 lb.
• High School East Moline High School
• Debut 1939
• Finale Game 1948
• Born August 18, 1915 in Des Moines, IA USA
• Died November 22, 1973 in East Moline, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

T.J. Brown was a Negro League infielder from 1939-1950 and a minor league infielder from 1952-1953. He once was an All-Star in the Negro Leagues.

Brown debuted with the Memphis Red Sox in 1939, hitting .156 as their starting shortstop. He improved to .208 in 1940 and was 1 for 5 in 1941. In 1942, he led the team at .315. He played for the West in the first 1942 East-West Game, hitting 8th and manning short. He went 0 for 3 in a 5-2 loss and was replaced by PH Ducky Davenport in the 9th inning.

Tom was a backup in 1943, hit .211 as the starter in 1944 and was a backup again in 1945. He served in the US Army in 1946. He returned to Memphis in 1947 and backed up Willie Wells Jr. at short in 1948. He remained with Memphis for two more years.

In 1952, the light-hitting infielder got a crack in the minors. He hit .241/.299/.273 for the Danville Dans but fielded .939; no Mississippi-Ohio Valley League shortstop had a better fielding percentage in more games than Brown's 66. In '53, Brown hit even less, going 13 for 78 with 11 walks and 3 doubles. He fielded .976, the best of any MOVL third basemen, but just as in the Negro Leagues, his glove couldn't make up for his bat enough.

Notable Achievements

• NAL All-Star (1942)

Sources

• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• 1953-1954 Baseball Guides

Related Sites

• BR Minors page